Van Halen Cover Art Van Halen 1 Cover Art
When Van Halen fans first listened to a copy of the Off-white Warning album in the early eighties, few could miss the fact that the ring'due south sunny subject matter had turned to a more somber and threatened perspective. This tone was set up by the album'due south opening runway "Mean Street,"and was continued through a vocal-cycle filled with dark subject matter and disillusionment. The overall theme extended to the record'southward haunting cover fine art, which depicted some poor guying getting pummeled in the face up, along with other scenes of aggression, pain and torture. The cover remains as stirring and enigmatic equally information technology was upon the day of the record's release April 29, 1981. Withal few VH fans know the story of that album art, which has a background as agonizing every bit the content of the songs within it.
The original artwork is from a grotesque painting by Canadian artist William Kurelek (1927-1977). Raised on a prairie subcontract in midwestern Canada, he had experienced such a brutal childhood that he had become extremely withdrawn, eventually retiring into a private globe of weird fantasies. In one of these, he imagined that if he cut off the flesh of his arm (lower right chamber) he would be shocked back to human feelings. When he actually fabricated some cuts on his arm, he was admitted to a infirmary for psychiatric treatment. In that location, the 26 year former was given treatment for schizophrenia. Additionally, the sympathetic doctors gave Kurelek a room to pursue his artistic endeavors, a passion accounted helpful past his therapists. It was during this stay that he created a painting he chosen "The Maze," a harrowing portrayal of his tortured youth in Canada during the Great Low.
Kurelek had great difficulty talking to people. Yet when he began to paint, the images of his torment poured out with remarkable clarity. In "The Maze," he portrayed himself lying in a field, his scull cut open to reveal the painful memories of his by and the morbid fantasies of his nowadays state. In the strange self portrait, the artist'south open skull is divided like the maze of a psychologist uses to observe a rat's beliefs. In the central compartment lies the rat, the artist himself, exhausted in defeat after entering each chamber. The various chambers draw bitter incidents in the artist's childhood, his disillusion (The "Museum of Hopelessness") and his pessimism (dancers seen equally puppets). His doctors are seen in one bedchamber every bit crows tormenting a helpless cadger while in another chamber the scrutinize the artist in a test tube.
Once the imagery of his illness emerged, he could pace back from the canvas and talk to his doctor nearly his torment. In time he recovered and married. His subsequent paintings had a much less morbid outlook.
The vividly roughshod imagery contained in "The Maze" is remarkably different from the paintings sequel, entitled "Out Of The Maze", painted later on the artist's recovery. This 2nd painting reflects a pastoral countryside, as well every bit an artist no longer equally securely disturbed, with his married woman and children enjoying a happy family picnic. Nevertheless, all is not as idyllic as a get-go glance might advise. An empty, open skull in the bottom left hand corner is a reminder of the psychological prison from which the artist has escaped and the impending storm on the far right horizon hints at Kurelek'southward premonition that the world was heading for a nuclear holocaust.
When the painting was used for the Fair Alarm album cover, it was severely cropped and modified, ostensibly to highlight the almost striking images inherent in the work. The album can best be viewed via it's original 12″ x 12″ vinyl release, which (due to it's size) allows a close study of the artwork not available in it'due south far smaller CD counterpart. Sadly, due to price constraints at the time of the record's release, a unmarried sleeve anthology jacket was used, whereas a gatefold-blazon cover would accept greatly enhanced the details found in the piece of work.
Source: https://www.vhnd.com/2011/05/02/the-story-behind-van-halens-fair-warning-album-cover-art/
0 Response to "Van Halen Cover Art Van Halen 1 Cover Art"
Post a Comment